DA alleges defense attorney in contempt of court

Mike McCrum says witnesses were told prosecutors had to be present in meetings with defense lawyers.

SAN ANTONIO — High-profile San Antonio defense attorney Mike McCrum could potentially face up to six months in jail if a visiting judge agrees with prosecutors that he unethically steered a witness away from testifying during an October trial.

McCrum, a former federal prosecutor, is scheduled to appear before visiting Judge Dick Alcala on Jan. 17 for a contempt hearing related to his alleged conduct during the intoxication manslaughter trial of client Taylor Rae Rosenbusch.

Melanie Little, a counselor and case manager at Starlite Recovery Center where Rosenbusch sought counseling after the fatal crash, was told by McCrum that the “DA was out for blood” and to “get lost for awhile” when prosecutors tried to call her back to the witness stand, the motion alleges.

Defense attorneys Mark Stevens and Patrick Hancock, who will represent McCrum at the hearing, described the allegations Thursday as “personal, vindictive and untrue.” There are “serious questions” about whether the motion was politically motivated, they said in a written statement.

In two high-profile cases last year, McCrum accused the district attorney's office of witness tampering and putting politics over justice.

His clients have included former NFL star turned alleged drug trafficker Sam Hurd; Dr. Calvin Day, whose conviction for sexual assault of a patient was thrown out after McCrum filed a request for new trial accusing the DA's office of political chicanery; fellow lawyer Mikal Watts, a Democratic Party stalwart who has hosted President Barack Obama at his home; and Mark Gudanowski, the former driver for District Attorney Susan Reed accused — and acquitted — of illegally selling Southwest Airlines vouchers.